SANTA CRUZ -- A fight broke out in a Santa Cruz County courtroom Thursday morning between a convicted murderer and a man headed to trial for armed robbery.

Convicted murderer Christian Speaker, 20, was seated in the jury box when accused robber Joseph Farrell, 36, who was being brought in by a bailiff, struck him in the right side of the head, deputy Ryan Kennedy said.

The blow left a slight gash on Speaker's right cheek and required three stitches. The cut likely was caused by Farrell's handcuffs, Kennedy said.

In February 2012, Speaker pleaded guilty to charges of murder, two counts of robbery and a special allegation of personal use of a firearm stemming from a 2010 murder of a Watsonville shopkeeper. While Speaker committed the crimes when he was 17, he was prosecuted as an adult and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in November 2012.

Speaker was in court for a trial readiness conference for an assault with a deadly weapon charge.

Farrell is a parolee who was arrested in 2012 after police say he crashed a stolen truck, robbed a man at gunpoint and fled from officers. He was in court for a trial readiness conference for charges of robbery, vehicle theft and illegal possession of a firearm stemming from the incident.

Farrell likely will be charged with battery or battery with intent to cause great bodily harm for the incident.

It's unclear why Farrell struck Speaker.

All defendants who are in custody are brought into the courtroom with their hands and legs chained. The policy was implemented years ago and has helped minimize the number of fights in courtrooms.

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"It was just one of those things that you can't completely keep people from causing harm to each other," Kennedy said.